Travels in the 2nd half

  The Glass of Wine by Johannes Vermeer The main reason I decided to visit Amsterdam was to see the historic Vermeer exhibit at the Rijksmuseum. With a ticket for 4:00 PM, I had a whole day to do some exploring. I headed back to the Museumplein to find a museum to visit. My choice was the Modern Contemporary Museum (MOCO). MOCO explores works by artists who might be considered “non-traditional.” Street art, experimental art, pieces that might be ignored by more traditional museums. They house a wide variety of art in a relatively small space. MOCO’s largest representation are pieces by Banksy , the edgy graffiti artist. His work always carries a not quite underlying political theme.  Picasso by Banksy Girl and Balloon by Banksy Keep it Real - Monkey by Banksy Angry Crows by Banksy The Permanent collection also includes works by Warhol, Basquiat, Haring, The Kid and Yayoi Kusama, among others. Flexible by Jean-Michel Basquiat Untitled (Nuclear Television) by Kieth Haring by Ya...

  Halfway through my one-week stay in Amsterdam, I decided to take a little road trip. I went to Viator , one of my favorite websites for finding tours when I am on vacation, and found a one-day bus tour of the area around Amsterdam. The tour promised windmills, cheese and clogs. So early in the morning (8:00 AM) I found myself near Central Station, boarding a bus with 40 or so half asleep people. Zaandam Our first stop was at Zaanse Schans -The Dutch Windmill Village. From 1964 through 1971, old buildings and windmills from the surrounding area were loaded on to trucks and relocated to the Zaanse Schans neighborhood Zaandam, about 20 km (12 miles) from Amsterdam. The buildings were turned into a historic park, where traditional skills and crafts are demonstrated, and souvenirs are sold. The highlight of the park are the eight windmills that line the Zaan River. Fun note - You might have noticed that the town of Zaandam sits on the Zaan river. In fact it is at the site of a dam tha...